1. Field of Invention
The field of the present invention relates in general to wireless local area networks including wireless access points (WAP) and wireless stations and methods multi-user concurrent communications with same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Home and office networks, a.k.a. wireless local area networks (WLAN) are established using a device called a Wireless Access Point (WAP). The WAP may include a router. The WAP wirelessly couples all the devices of the home network, e.g. wireless stations such as: computers, printers, televisions, digital video (DVD) players, security cameras and smoke detectors to one another and to the Cable or Subscriber Line through which Internet, video, and television is delivered to the home. Most WAPs implement the IEEE 802.11 standard which is a contention based standard for handling communications among multiple competing devices for a shared wireless communication medium on a selected one of a plurality of communication channels. The frequency range of each communication channel is specified in the corresponding one of the IEEE 802.11 protocols being implemented, e.g. “a”, “b”, “g”, “n”, “ac”, “ad”, “ax”. Communications follow a hub and spoke model with a WAP at the hub and the spokes corresponding to the wireless links to each ‘client’ device, a.k.a. station.
Adding a new station to an existing home network involves various forms of user involvement with both the WAP and the new station. The most prevalent standard setting forth the steps by which a user can initially pair and eventually associate a new station with the home network is set forth by the Wi-Fi Alliance in the Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC/WPS) specifications. Pairing is the process that allows a specific Wi-Fi AP to provide valid credentials to a given Wi-Fi STA. WSC specifies three different methods for user pairing of a new station with their existing WAP: Push button; personal identification number (PIN) and near field communication (NFC).
WSC-Push Button requires the homeowner to press a physical or victual button on both WAP and station In a short time interval, e.g. two minutes. If both WAP and station see only one other device performing active WSC pairing the WAP will provide valid credentials to the STA, otherwise they abort the process. This method however trades security for simplicity, and it is considered by many Telco and device vendors not secure enough to be deployed on sensitive devices. The push button method can also lead to pairing to a neighbor's WAP by accident. In dense environments such as apartments where a station will have more than one WAP in range, and where the multiple WAPs are on different channels, the station will have to scan all channels to find the beacon of the WAP on which the button has been pushed, and if the scan is not quick enough the pairing will fail. Thus repeated pairing attempts may need to be made, which in turn may result in a temporary or permanent lockout, if either the station or WAP includes that feature.
WSC-PIN requires that a device identifier known as a PIN typically found on a label on the exterior of the new station be read by the homeowner and manually entered into the WAP by the user. If the subsequent wireless pairing attempt by the station includes a PIN matching that entered by the user into the WAP then the WAP will provide valid credentials to the station, otherwise they abort the process. The PIN is so short, e.g. 8 characters, as to be susceptible to simple cryptographic hacks. Additionally, the PIN entry can be frustrating if as is typically the case the WAP does not include its own input and display. A wired connection to the homeowner's computer is required, and further the entry into the browser on that computer of the WAPs local IP address to access the WAP's administrative page.
WSC-NFC requires that both the new station and WAP be plugged in and physically brought by the homeowner into temporary contact, e.g. “bumped”, with one another at which time an extremely short range near field communication is used by the AP to provide valid credentials to the station.
What is needed are improved methods for setting up a wireless home network.